Posted on Cardiff Council, Planning, Wales Assembly Government

WAG admits courts defeat over Llanishen – fight resumes

Llanishen Reservoir Cardiff by Greg Marshall

Llanishen Reservoir Cardiff by Greg Marshall

Just as it was thought that all would be decided on 22nd September, the fight for the future of Llanishen Reservoir starts again.
In April 2009 the Welsh Environment Minister, Jane Davidson, rejected Western Power’s appeal following the Second Public Planning Inquiry which was held in June 2008. In effect, she refused permission for Western Power’s scheme to build 324 houses and flats on the site of Llanishen reservoir. Her decision was a little unusual in that the planning inspector who had presided over the appeal, recommended that the development should go ahead. However, the Minister disagreed with the Inspector’s conclusions and did not accept his recommendation.
Unhappy developer: they needed to challenge the minister on a matter of law, hence the impending court case. At the door of the court, as it were, WAG climbed down:

Having considered the grounds put forward by the company, and on the advice of Counsel, the Welsh Ministers accept the legal arguments put forward by the company that aspects of the assessment through which they reached their original decision were incorrect. Rather than continue the legal proceedings and go to a hearing which they consider they would not win, the Welsh Ministers have agreed not to contest the challenge.

Basically, WAG cocked up.
So now – and follow carefully: the court will send the decision back to the minister; she will notify those who took part in the original appeal and ask for any new information; she will decide whether or not to re-open the inquiry; a decision will be made, but not this year.
In the meanwhile: the minister has listed the reservoir as a building of historic importance and Cardiff Council in its Deposit Local Development Plan (previous blogs) has shown that the site is part of the protected Nant Fawr river corridor. That should made a rejection of the planning application a forgone conclusion.
But … the developers have loads of money. They must feel victorious in getting the court showdown. And the very status of the LDP has been questioned by the minister’s own planners.
As ever – pace Swalec Stadium, Bute Park Bridge, Sophia Gardens Car Parking, playing fields et al – it’s the objectors, the local people, who have to find the emotional, physical and financial resources to go through the whole fight again. And, in fighting to get the Deposit LDP returned to the drawing board, some of us may be unwittingly helping Western Power Distribution Investments Limited destroy Llanishen reservoir.

Posted on Cardiff Council, Wales and the Welsh, Wales Assembly Government

Cardiff’s Local Development Plan: dead in the water?

Report by Civic Society on Cardiff Council Deposit LDP

Report by Civic Society on Cardiff Council Deposit LDP

Cardiff is in the final stages of deciding the shape of the city for the next 15-20 years seeking approval of its “Deposit Local Development Plan”. The next stage in the process is supposed to be consideration of the LDP by a WAG appointed Inspector to judge its soundness.
Into the arena steps WAG planner Mark Newey who has apparently told the council to drastically revise it!
As one of the team that helped Cardiff Civic Society submit a coruscating response, I am overjoyed that the council’s flimsy, shallow, unstrategic apology for long-term planning should be shown up for what it is: a high sounding – and perfectly commendable – vision that lacks any real evidence based delivery mechanisms. CCS found that it was ‘unsound’ on six grounds.

The Cardiff Civic Society believes that the process of developing this LDP has been followed in accordance with the guidelines: its implementation however has been unsound leading to inadequate policy formulation. Whilst the CCS concurs with the vision section of the LDP, our mapping of policy proposals onto that vision reveals patchy coverage and this leads, inexorably, to inadequate and inappropriate proposals.
We conclude therefore that the plan is unsound and thus has to be rejected in its entirety.

Mark Newey states:

There is a fundamental issue regarding the ability of the plan’s strategy to deliver the vision which presents a significant degree of risk for the authority if not addressed prior to submission stage.
“In summary, while the vision sets out a clear position to enable Cardiff to play its role as a European capital city, the LDP strategy does not deliver the council’s own vision, nor does it adequately reflect the evidence base. The degree of concern is significant.”

In an interesting presentation (Delivering Spatial Planning) that Mark Newey prepared, he set out very clearly – it seems to me – the way the new LDP process should work. It’s littered with phrases like: community consensus; interest groups; opportunities; focus not on objections but issues; addressing cross boundary issues; adapt to change; holistic evidence base; grounded in stakeholder/community involvement. I could cite many more areas he says are needed to be addressed and where CCS found that Cardiff Council had, quite simply, failed to understand, address and reach agreement.
It makes me wonder how the Council is going to get itself out of a very large hole of its own making. Will the Deposit LDP even go before the Inspector in this state in the light of the WAG objections?
I hope not.
Now, perhaps the council could get off its arrogant high-horse, and sit down with organisations like Cardiff Civic Society and create a visionary, viable, and deliverable strategy for the nation’s capital city.

2 Comments Posted on Victorian Society, Wales and the Welsh

Victorian Society in Cardiff goes afloat

Restored Brecon Canal basin

Restored Brecon Canal basin



Like lots of such organisations, The Victorian Society in Cardiff is a bit hid under a bushel. There’s a very English centric website but nothing for Wales – so news of events depends on emails and circulars. This one is particularly interesting and they seem to welcome ‘outsiders’.

A talk on Canals at Theatr Brycheiniog, lunch at Tipple’n’Tiffin and a canal boat trip on the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal
on Monday 21st. September
Graham Bailey, one of our members, has very kindly offered a talk on ‘Inland Waterways-Conserving Our Heritage’.
Graham was Conservation Architect for British Waterways for 10 years and is particularly interested in how the significance and unique character of the waterways can be conserved. We have an extensive inland waterway heritage but it is constantly under threat.
‘In spite of the competition from the new railways (of the mid nineteenth century), many canals continued in commercial use for another 100 years and indeed some canals can be considered truly Victorian’.
You may wish to gather for coffee in the Tipple’n’Tiffin, Theatr Brycheiniog, Brecon at 10.30 am. I have booked the Studio at the theatre from 11.00 am until 12.30 pm for Graham’s talk. Then we will have a pre-booked lunch in the ‘Tiffin’.
The menu choices are;
Moroccan Spiced Chicken on Mixed Pepper Cous Cous
Spanish Style Pork & Chorizo on Pilau Rice
Bangers ‘n’ Mash or vegetarian if required.
followed by Apple Crumble or Lemon Tart.
At 2.30 pm we will board the canal boat at the wharf outside, for a 2 hours + trip along this famously beautiful canal. On our return journey we will have a cream tea.

The cost for the day is £23 to include main meal and pudding, talk, hire of studio space, canal trip and tea on the canal boat plus the usual administration costs (of postage, photocopying and stationery).
Coffee/tea/etc. in the Tipple’n’Tiffin are additional.

A reminder of forthcoming events;
Radnorshire on 17th.October. Member’s contributions event in November.

Please complete the booking form below and return with your cheque to Elaine Davey, 37 Romilly Rd., Thompson’s Park, Cardiff CF5 1FJ (02920387384) by 12/09/09. If you require a receipt/map-please send an s.a.e.

Posted on Arts, Cardiff, Cricket (especially GCCC), Planning

Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama plans – now that’s more like it!

The heritage, listed Bute Parks are being subjected to pressures from all fronts: if it isn’t the big money lure of sporting events, it’s a local authority that thinks status and political short-termism is more important that what we leave for our children. One of the organisations that borders Bute Park itself is the RWCMD with a building of extreme ugliness albeit linking to a sensitive restoration of the stables that nestle into the edges of the Castle’s back door.

Now – Shock Horror! – they want to cover what little space there is on the site with more buildings and even – Horror on Horrors! – ask the Council for a bit of the Park to cover in concrete! And you know what? I’m all for it! I doubt that the governors and chief executive actually need my ringing endorsement to get their planning application through .. but hey, it’s great not be cheer leading the moaners and nimbies (as described in the past) for once.

Firstly: we were invited weeks ago to a very select presentation (their try out it turned out) at RWCMD to hear from the chief executive Hilary Boulding (the horse’s mouth, as it were) about the creation of the scheme and its impact. There was no hiding the effect the scheme would have. Nor of the necessity to acquire part of Bute Park (a scrubby bit of unused land of no value in the grand scheme of things for the Park).

Secondly: this is ambitious, both for the college and the city. We need it. Thirdly: it’s pretty damn good architecture – adding to the vistas you’ll see from the Park. Unremittingly modern (no Prince Charles pastiche, thank goodness). If anything, they need to raise the optimum amount of money so that finishes and public spaces can be even more adventurous. S

So there we have it: talk to people and explain (Eisteddfod passim, note). Be bold. Employ good architects and really know what you are doing, and don’t stint on the ambition (Glamorgan Cricket Club passim). Exciting, relevant and a potential asset for the future. What more do need. It’s on my “if I win the Lottery list”…. See the details

Posted on Wales and the Welsh

Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama plans – that’s more like it!

A view of the new RWCMD building

The heritage, listed Bute Parks are being subjected to pressures from all fronts: if it isn’t the big money lure of sporting events, it’s a local authority that thinks status and political short-termism is more important that what we leave for our children. One of the organisations that borders Bute Park itself is the RWCMD with a building of extreme ugliness albeit linking to a sensitive restoration of the stables that nestle into the edges of the Castle’s back door. Now – Shock Horror! – they want to cover what little space there is on the site with more buildings and even – Horror on Horrors! – ask the Council for a bit of the Park to cover in concrete!
And you know what? I’m all for it! I doubt that the governors and chief executive actually need my ringing endorsement to get their planning application through .. but hey, it’s great not be cheer leading the moaners and nimbies (as described in the past) for once.
Firstly: we were invited weeks ago to a very select presentation (their try out it turned out) at RWCMD to hear from the chief executive Hilary Boulding (the horse’s mouth, as it were) about the creation of the scheme and its impact. There was no hiding the effect the scheme would have. Nor of the necessity to acquire part of Bute Park (a scrubby bit of unused land of no value in the grand scheme of things for the Park).
Secondly: this is ambitious, both for the college and the city. We need it.
Thirdly: it’s pretty damn good architecture – adding to the vistas you’ll see from the Park. Unremittingly modern (no Prince Charles pastiche, thank goodness). If anything, they need to raise the optimum amount of money so that finishes and public spaces can be even more adventurous.
So there we have it: talk to people and explain (Eisteddfod passim, note). Be bold. Employ good architects and really know what you are doing, and don’t stint on the ambition (Glamorgan Cricket Club passim).
Exciting, relevant and a potential asset for the future. What more do need. It’s on my “if I win the Lottery list”….
See the details

Posted on Wales and the Welsh

Residents get the chance to meet Eisteddfod bosses

It’s all happening here in the first week in August, you know, Wales’ premier cultural event The Eisteddfod. Not that you’d know if you lived within 100 metres of the big tent and all that it brings because the Eisteddfod and Cardiff Council have been decidedly coy about meeting the locals – let alone engaging with them.
This Thursday 3rd July (at the Scout Hut in Fields Park Road Car Park at 7.30pm) Betsan Williams the Marketing Secretary and Alan Gwynant, Technical Director of the Eistedfodd will face the residents together with Paul Carter the Cardiff Council Operational Manager.
I suggested to local councillors a year or more ago that it would be a good idea that such a meeting should take place: Pontcanna, Canton and Riverside – who will be affected along with Gabalfa ward – has one of the largest populations of Welsh speakers in the country. It’s also media land. And an area blooded over the destruction of Sophia Gardens by the building of the electricity substation that now doubles as a cricket pitch (you know, the Swalec Stadium!).
So you would have thought, maybe, that they’d engage early on: encouraging us to fund raise; to put welcome posters in our windows and in the local shops; for the Council to put great big welcome banners on the main roads; even make us a special offer for admission to make up for all the hastle it will cause.
Hastle – you mean like parts of Poncanna Fields being behind a security wall for months and out of action until April 2009; like noise and light pollution from the all day events in our back gardens (yes literally for many) going on well into to the night; the joy of a Tented Youth Village in the middle of the town; no parking (everyone will park and ride, of course) which means no room for residents and often no access to our own homes; serious concerns about emergency access to the site. And then there’s restitution of the Fields to their former state. We’re assured that the Council has more than enough money in hand to do this.
Then there’s the cost of saying Croeso. Cardiff Council has, of course, made a generous grant. To which is added the £300,000 plus of temporary works and restitution. And there was a budget for new access at Western Avenue (essential for the Eisteddfod and the cricket stadium we are told). Oh, and the plan to spend £1M plus on a new bridge in Bute park – equally essential. And it costs £70,000 or so every day there’s a major event in Cardiff – for clearing up – so that might be an issue. And park and ride. And policing.
So, whatever the bill – and it could be millions depending on what you count –  Cardiff residents will pick up the tabs, and face a long recovery from something they’ve clearly not been invited to. This is bad marketing (they need our footfall), bad pr for the Welsh language, and very bad local politics that is still only driven by Cardiff getting headline events at the same time destroying assets like the Heritage Parklands.
Yes, they will claim an economic benefit to the area of £6.5M. That’s a nigh on £40 spend by every visitor from 2 to 90, every day they are here. Going into the ‘local’ economy, not the franchises on the maes. Likely?
It might just be an interesting meeting.

Posted on Cardiff Council, Planning, Wales and the Welsh

Residents get the chance to meet Eisteddfod bosses

It’s all happening here in the first week in August, you know, Wales’ premier cultural event The Eisteddfod. Not that you’d know if you lived within 100 metres of the big tent and all that it brings because the Eisteddfod and Cardiff Council have been decidedly coy about meeting the locals – let alone engaging with them.
This Thursday 3rd July (at the Scout Hut in Fields Park Road Car Park at 7.30pm) Betsan Williams the Marketing Secretary and Alan Gwynant, Technical Director of the Eistedfodd will face the residents together with Paul Carter the Cardiff Council Operational Manager.
I suggested to local councillors a year or more ago that it would be a good idea that such a meeting should take place: Pontcanna, Canton and Riverside – who will be affected along with Gabalfa ward – has one of the largest populations of Welsh speakers in the country. It’s also media land. And an area blooded over the destruction of Sophia Gardens by the building of the electricity substation that now doubles as a cricket pitch (you know, the Swalec Stadium!).
So you would have thought, maybe, that they’d engage early on: encouraging us to fund raise; to put welcome posters in our windows and in the local shops; for the Council to put great big welcome banners on the main roads; even make us a special offer for admission to make up for all the hastle it will cause.
Hastle – you mean like parts of Poncanna Fields being behind a security wall for months and out of action until April 2009; like noise and light pollution from the all day events in our back gardens (yes literally for many) going on well into to the night; the joy of a Tented Youth Village in the middle of the town; no parking (everyone will park and ride, of course) which means no room for residents and often no access to our own homes; serious concerns about emergency access to the site. And then there’s restitution of the Fields to their former state. We’re assured that the Council has more than enough money in hand to do this.
Then there’s the cost of saying Croeso. Cardiff Council has, of course, made a generous grant. To which is added the £300,000 plus of temporary works and restitution. And there was a budget for new access at Western Avenue (essential for the Eisteddfod and the cricket stadium we are told). Oh, and the plan to spend £1M plus on a new bridge in Bute park – equally essential. And it costs £70,000 or so every day there’s a major event in Cardiff – for clearing up – so that might be an issue. And park and ride. And policing.
So, whatever the bill – and it could be millions depending on what you count – Cardiff residents will pick up the tabs, and face a long recovery from something they’ve clearly not been invited to. This is bad marketing (they need our footfall), bad pr for the Welsh language, and very bad local politics that is still only driven by Cardiff getting headline events at the same time destroying assets like the Heritage Parklands.
Yes, they will claim an economic benefit to the area of £6.5M. That’s a nigh on £40 spend by every visitor from 2 to 90, every day they are here. Going into the ‘local’ economy, not the franchises on the maes. Likely?
It might just be an interesting meeting.

Posted on Wales and the Welsh

Surprise? the BBC ignores Wales

Just last week the – increasingly inane – Breaksfast Show on BBC 1 TV was headlining the story about older people being given free admission to swimming pools. At 6.41 am I emailed the show pointing out 1) the story only related to England and 2) Wales had been doing it for years:
“I don’t know about Scotland or Northern Ireland but your news item about swimming should at least point out that us older people in Wales have had free swimming for a long time.
So, do you mean, “the UK government has decided that older people in England should join those in Wales and get free admission to their local swimming pool”?
Please: acknowledge that there are four nations, that we do things differently (free prescriptions, swimming, hospital car parks et al) and credit the devolved governments accordingly ….”
I cannot have been the only one since the bulletin was changed – it became more accurate “in England”, “local authority pools” etc, but still no mention that anywhere else might already be in the lead.
Now theBBC Trust has told the corporation the blindingly obvious – get your national coverage right: make it national, not English, not parochial London. The surprise is not the conclusions, but the surprise at something anyone with half an eye or ear could have detected in 24 hours watching or listening to the BBC.
I used to be agnostic about the idea of the home nations taking control of their own news output. Two things have changed my mind: the ability of the BBC to produce national news programmes (in Welsh, but they are always subtitled as well) for S4C and the absolute inability of London based journalists to get even the simplest things right. So, slash the BBC’s central budgets; devolve news to the nations; boost Wales’ (and Scotland and Nor
thern Ireland’s) indigineous media industries. And if that means lots of narrow minded (bigoted even?), blinkered, second rate London journos getting sacked – bring it on.

Posted on Wales and the Welsh

Surprise? – the BBC ignores wales?

Just last week the – increasingly inane – Breaksfast Show on BBC 1 TV was headlining the story about older people being given free admission to swimming pools. At 6.41 am I emailed the show pointing out 1) the story only related to England and 2) Wales had been doing it for years:
“I don’t know about Scotland or Northern Ireland but your news item about swimming should at least point out that us older people in Wales have had free swimming for a long time.
So, do you mean, “the UK government has decided that older people in England should join those in Wales and get free admission to their local swimming pool”?
Please: acknowledge that there are four nations, that we do things differently (free prescriptions, swimming, hospital car parks et al) and credit the devolved governments accordingly ….”
I cannot have been the only one since the bulletin was changed – it became more accurate “in England”, “local authority pools” etc, but still no mention that anywhere else might already be in the lead.
Now the BBC Trust has told the corporation the blindingly obvious – get your national coverage right: make it national, not English, not paraochial London. The surprise is not the conclusions, but the surprise at something anyone with half an eye or ear could have detected in 24 hours watching or listening to the BBC.
I used to be agnostic about the idea of the home nations taking control of their own news output. Two things have changed my mind: the ability of the BBC to produce national news programmes (in Welsh, but they are always subtitled as well) for S4C and the absolute inability of London based journalists to get even the simplest things right. So, slash the BBC’s central budgets; devolve news to the nations; boost Wales’ (and Scotland and Northern Ireland’s) indigineous media industries. And if that means lots of narrow minded (bigoted even?), blinkered, second rate London journos getting sacked – bring it on.

Posted on Cardiff, Cardiff Council, Planning

Cardiff Bay’s Comeuppance?

Yesterday’s Politics Show pitted the usual suspects – an urbane professor of urban planning against the shifty council leader – to debate the future of Cardiff bay housing. Are they really the slums of tomorrow?

NewImage

Has the local council (the Lib Dem led, supported by Plaid one …) really given permission for 9,000 more tacky boxes without any infra structure when most of the current properties have negative equity if morgaged and are difficult to let at ‘economic’ rents?

 What is surprising about these kinds of issues is not the blindingly obvious: much of the housing development is awful, built to the lowest possible standard, a discrace to the design and architectural professions (if they were ever involved); Rodney Berman admitted that the Council had sold off land to replensish its dwindling capital coffers and regretted that the current ‘housing blip’ might mean there’s no more coming. No, the revelation as always is that Rodney Berman tries to pretend either ‘is wasn’t my fault guv’ or ‘ actually there isn’t a problem’. And the interviewer, while seeming to press hard, actually lets him get away with disingenuity (aka a politician being economical with the truth).

 Take the ‘there’s no infrastructure for these thousands of homes – everyone has to drive everywhere’ question. Oh that’s not true says our Rodders – there’s an Asda round the corner (ideal for low environmental impact shopping – like the morning paper), and a 50 metre swimming pool – yes the one that isn’t quite an Olympic pool, is privately financed so your Cardiff Council Max card won’t get you a discount and the much lauded (and appreciated by me) WAG scheme to let wrinklies in for free doesn’t work either. Pull the other water wing Mr Leader!

 As for libraries, schools, a place for the Scouts or WI to meet: well, we clearly don’t need such things – or if we do we can get our Chelsea Tractor out and Zoom Across Town .. No, we’re all high earning singletons and the bars in the Bay will suit us fine.

 Many, many years ago in my first job as a government press officer I had to release a report that looked at the development of the New Towns in the sixties (yep, that long ago). Called “The First Hundred Families”, its simple conclusions caused quite a stir. If people are to be happy in their new homes they need pavements, street lighting and infrastructure – a local pub, a post office (remember this was a long time ago and governments then thought post offices were important), a place to meet etc. And the community had to make sure these things were there at the start.

  Now: large scale development is the province of private capital – they’ve already given the council millions for the land, and they’ll make their money out of the suckers who buy the tacky boxes. Infrastructure? That’s for idiots or Tesco/Asda et al. Our newly re-elected leader seems to agree. Just don’t buy a house in the Bay.